Matthew Baldisimo

PROFILE
Hailing from Burnaby, BC, defender Matthew Baldisimo joined Whitecaps FC Residency in Sept. 2011 after representing his home province of British Columbia.

UNITED STATES SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY

2012-13: The Burnaby native started 20 of 26 regular season appearances for Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency, only two players on the team started more games than Baldisimo last season.

INTERNATIONAL2013: Baldisimo was called up as part of a 30-player group assembled for a three-day prospects evaluation for the U-15 Canadian men’s national team. The camp was held from June 4 through June 6 in Montreal, Quebec. He was also named to Canada's Men's U-15 20-man roster for the 2013 Copa Mexico de Naciones which took place in Mexico City from August 10 to 18.

YOUTH/AMATEUR
Baldisimo played his entire youth career in his hometown of Burnaby, BC. He started with Wesburn Youth Soccer Club, where he played from 2003 to 2009, before spending the 2009-10 season with South Burnaby Metro Club, and the 2010-11 campaign with Burnaby Selects Soccer Club. With Burnaby Selects, the defender served as captain and earned Most Valuable Player honours at the U-14 level. Baldisimo was also a member of the BC U-13 provincial team, where he served as co-captain.

PERSONAL
Before attending Burnaby Central Secondary School as part of the residency program, Baldisimo was a student at Douglas Road Elementary School (2002 to 2006) and Sir Guy Carleton Elementary School (2007 to 2010) in Burnaby, BC. He is currently in the 10th grade.

INTERESTING FACTS
The 5-foot-8 defender’s favourite soccer team is European giants FC Barcelona, while his favourite player is their Spanish defender Carles Puyol. The stadium that he would most like to play in is Manchester United's legendary home stadium of Old Trafford. Baldisimo's favourite type of food is Chinese.